Hoop-making machine



Y.(No Model.) i 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.2

E. Si FOSTER.

HOOP MAKING MACHINE.

No. 553,282. Patented. Jan. 21,1896.

Elmer S. Fbev; Y

ANDREW lGRAIIM."UTD-LI'MQWASHNGTOMDE.

(No Model.)

E. S. FOSTER.

' HOOP MAKING MACHINE.

PtentedJaQn. 2l, 1896.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. 4E. S. FOSTER. HOOP. MAKING MACHINE. No.553,282. Patented Jan. 21, 1896.

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ANDREW EGRANAM,PHOTO-LITHUWASHINGTUNQC.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER S. FOSTER, OF NEW MIDDLETOWN, INDIANA.

HOOP-MAKING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,282, dated January21, 1896.

Application filed May 8,1895. Serial No. 548,588. (No model.)

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELMER S. FOSTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Middletown, in the county of Harrison and State ofIndiana, have invented a new and useful Hoop-Making Machine, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in hoop-making machines, beingdesigned especially for the manufacture of hoops from riven wood for usein connection with tobacco-hogsheads.

The object of the present invention is to provide a reliable andefficient machine for operating upon and dressing strips of riven woodin such manner as to shape said strips into proper form, for adaptingthem to be utilized as hoops designed particularly to be used forbindinggtogether the staves of tobacco-hogsheads and other articles of asimilar nature.

The invention consists in certain novel features and details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the drawings, and finally pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is' section taken through themachine in line with the several feed-rolls, planer-blocks,

die. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the complete` machine, with parts brokenaway to betterl illustrate the general construction and arrangement ofthe parts. Fig. 4E is a detail view of the sliding frame in which theselfacting spring-actuated roll is mounted, showing also the springwhich actuates said roll. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the pivoted guidingframe and lever, showing also the verticallyelongated guide throughwhich said lever operates.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in theseveral figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, l designates the main frame of the improvedhoop-making machine, said frame being formed preferably of hard wood andcomposed of a series of upright posts or standards connected by suitablelongitudinal and transverse-bars or timbers firmly held together bymeansv of tiebolts, as shown. The upper portion of the frame thusconstructed is provided with three longitudinallyextending frame timbersor bars extending the entire length of the machine and serving as anelevated bed or table, upon which is mounted the mechanism which willnow be described. The central longitudinal bar or timber 2 is arrangedin such relation to the, side bars 3 that a suiiicient space is leftupon one side for the various feedrolls, planer-blocks, dto., while thespace on the opposite side of said central bar or timber is adapted tobe occupied by the several gearwheels, pinions, and pulleys throughwhich and suitable belting motion is communicated to the variousoperative parts of the machine.

The main driving-shaft of the machine (indicated at 4) is mounted inbearings at the rear end of the frame and is provided at one end with aband-pulley 5, through which it receives motion from any suitable motorby means of an interposed belt. The main driving-shaft has upon itsopposite end a large band-pulley G, from which a belt extends around thepulleys on the shafts of the planer blocks. The main driving-shaft isprovided with another small pulley 7, from which a belt extends forwardand drives the several smooth and iluted feed-rolls.

The pair of feed-rolls through which the material is fed from Athemachine is located near the rear end of the machine and provided withsmooth cylindrical surfaces, as shown. These feed-rolls (designated bythe numeral 3,) are mounted upon transverse shafts and provided at theiradjacent ends with spur-gears 9, which are always in mesh and therebydrive said rolls in opposite directions, adapting them to engage boththe upper and lower surface of the material fed thereto and to pass thesame onward out of the machine. The lower one of these feedrolls 8 iskeyed to its shaft and said shaft is extended upon one side of the framein which it is journaled where it is provided with a band-pulley l0,through which it receives motion. In order to support the feed-rolls Sat the proper elevation, so as to bring them into horizontal line withthe other feed-rolls of the machine, an oppositely-disposed pair ofbearing-blocks 1l is mounted upon the longitudinal timbers 2 and 3,extending upwardly therefrom and extending sufficiently IOO the shaftsof said feed-rolls 8.

The upwardly-extending bearing-blocks 11 are further provided withbearings for the reception of a transverse shaft 12, upon which ispivotally mounted a forked or bifurcated frame 13, carrying at its frontend a guidingroll 14 revolubly mounted between the oppositely-disposedarms-of said forked frame Aand located immediately above or in verticalline with the lower and rear planer-block. Extending rearwardly fromsaid pivoted guideroller frame is an operating-lever 15., arrangedwithin convenient reach of the machine attendant. In order to supportsaid operating-lever and guide the movements thereof, a verticallyelongated or slotted frame 16 is provided, said frame havinglaterally-projecting arms or extensions 17 by means of which it isattached to the upper edges of the bearing-blocks 11.

18 designates the rear and lower planerbloek, which is keyed to atransverse shaft mounted in bearings upon the longitudinal frame-bars 2and 3 and provided at one end outside of the frame and in line with thelarge pulley G with a band-pulley 18., by means of which the planer-block is driven. The planer-block 13 is provided upon opposite sideswith the usual planing-knives, as indicated at 20, said knives beingslotted and adjustable by means of set-screws in the usual manner. Asimilar planer-'block 21 is located in front of the block 13 andin ahigherplane, being also keyed to a transverse shaft, upon one end ofwhich is mounted a pulley 22 by which said planer-block is driven. Theplaner-block 21 is also provided with slotted and adjustableplaning-knives 2,3. A suitable guiding-belt 24 extends around the largedriving-'pulley 6, thence over the pulley 19 on the shaft of the lowerplaner-block, after which it passes over and around the pulley 22 on theshaft of the upper planer-block, 2l. M otion is thus imparted to theupper and lower planer-blocks and said motion is necessarily rapid owingto the relative sizes of the pulleys described.

Located intermediate the planer-blocks just described is a pair offeed-rolls, the lower one of which is provided with longitudinalcorrugations and is mounted upon a transverse shaft journaled in themachine-frame. This fiuted or corrugated roll 25 is located in about thesame horizontal plane with the lower feedroll, 8, above described.Located immediately above said feed-roll 25 is a smooth feed-roll 26which ispivotally mounted in the free ends of an oppositely-disposedpair of spring-arms 27, secured to the longitudinal bars 2 and 3 uponthe u pper faces thereof. The tension of said spring-arms is exerted toforce said smooth -feed-roll 26 toward the fluted or corrugated roll andthe distance between the two rolls may be regulated by means ofset-screws 28,

arranged with their upper ends beneath said spring-mmsl and engagingthreaded sockets in the machine-frame. The iiuted and smooth feed-rollsjust described constitute the main feed-rolls of the machine, beingadapted to grasp the strips of riven wood after they have been actedupon by the upper planer-block and to force the same onward over thelower planer-block.

29 and 30 represent a pair of feed-rolls mounted in bearings near thefront end of the machine. The lower one of these feedrolls, 29, isfluted or corrugated and the upper one is smooth and journaled in thefree ends of an oppositely-disposed pair of springarms 31, as shown,whereby the upper smooth feed-roll, 30, is normally held in contact withthe upper faces or edges of the strips offwood for assisting in feedingthe same to the operation of the knives.

The shaft upon which the lower iiuted feedroll 29 is keyed is extendedthrough its bearing in and beneath the longitudinal frame-bar 2 and isprovided outside of said longitudinal bar with a spur gear-wheel Theshaft to which the lower feed-roll 25 is keyed is also extended in asimilar manner beyond its bearing in the central longitudinal fram e-barand is provided with a spur gear-wheel 33 in line longitudinally withthe gear 32. A gear-pinion 34 is mounted upon a short transverse shaft35 intermediate the gears 32 and 33, said intermediate pinion 34intermeshing With and communicating motion tol both of said spurgear-wheels 32 and 33. Mounted upon the same shaft with the spur-pinion34 and keyed thereto is a band-pulley 36, from which a suitable. belt 37extends to and passes around the pulley 7 on the main driving-shaft 4 ofthe inachine. Motion is thus communicated directly from the maindriving-shaft to the shafts of the feed-rolls through the pinion 34 andgears 32 and 3,3, mounted on the shafts of said feedrolls.

rlhe rear spur gear-wheel, 33, has a pulley 37 lixedly connectedtherewith or keyed to the shaft on which said gear-wheel is mounted, andfrom said pulley a band 38 extends to and passes around the pulley 10 onthe shaft of the lower feed-roll, 8, at the front end of the machine.Motion is thus communicated from the main iluted feed-roll 25 to therear pair of feed-rolls, 8. Mounted upon the shaft of the spur-pinion 34is a guiding and supporting roll 39, located immediately beneath theupper and front planer-block 21, by means of which the strips of woodpassing through the machine are upheld at just the point where they areacted upon by the upper planer-block.

4,0 designates a sliding block or frame the width of which isapproximately equal to the distance between the longitudinal frame-bars2 and 3, between which the feed-rolls are mounted. Said block 40 isadapted to slide vertically between two oppositely-disposed pairs ofcleats or strips 41 attached to the inner adjacent faces of saidlongitudinal framebars. At the upper end said sliding block is providedWith an oppositely-disposed pair of upwardly-extending arms, which aresecured IOO IIO

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at their lower ends to said blocks and adapted to receive between theirupper ends an idlerroll 42, mounted loosely and adapted to revolvefreely thereon. The lower end of said sliding block is provided with apendent link or similar connection, which is connected to the inner freeend of a spring-arm 43 secured to the frame of the machine at anyconvenient point. By means of the construction just described the roller42 is held by springpressure against the upper faces or edges of thestrips of wood just as they pass from the upper planer-block, therebyserving to direct said strips properly to the action of the rearplaner-block.

In order to prevent the strips of Wood from wearing away, the innerfaces of the longitudinal frame-bars 2 and 3, between which they travel,are preferably lined or faced with metal plates or straps 44, which maybe renewed from time to time Whenever necessary. A suitable guard orfender 45 extends over and upon the inside of the gear-wheels 32 and 33and the pinion 34, for the purpose of preventing the dust and shavingsfrom getting into and between the teeth of the wheels, thereby cloggingthe same and rendering the machine inoperative. Said guard or fender ispreferably made from sheet metal and is held in place by means of athumb-screw passing through a perforation therein and engaging the frameof the machine. An additional guard or fender 46 is secured to themachineframe just above the upper front feed-roll 30 and close up to butin front of the upper Yplaner-block 2l, the object of such arrangementbeing to catch the shavings and prevent their too-forcible ejection fromthe machine.

The operation of the machine will be understood from the foregoingdescription, and it is therefore not necessary to enter into a detaileddescription of such operation. It may be stated, however, that thestrips of wood or material to be operated upon are first insertedbetween the forward pair of feedrolls, being thereby carried inward andsubj ected to the action of the upper planer-block. The material is thenoperated upon by the vertically-movable spring-actuated idler-roll 42,by means of which said material is properly directed between the mainfeed-rolls 25 and 26 and thence t'o the action of the lower rearplaner-block, against which the material is forced with any desiredpressure by vibrating the frame 15 and depressing the roller 14, wherebythe material is properly pointed and its thickness regulated. Thematerial having now been operated upon on both sides is fed from themachine by means of the feed-rolls 8 and 9, located in rear of the lowerplanerblock.

The machine above described, while being designed especially forpreparing riven wood for the purpose of making hoops for use inconnection with tobacco-hogsheads, is also adapted to be used forplaning or dressing narrow strips or boards upon both sides in a singlepassage through the machine, for any purpose whatever.

The machine will be found reliable and efficient in operation, durableand labor-saving in practice and thoroughly efficient and practicablefor the purpose for which it is designed.

Various changes in the form, proportion and minor details ofconstruction and arrangement may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a hoop machine, a horizontal frame comprising several sets oflongitudinal timbers arranged in parallelism and forming separatelongitudinal spaces in which the operative parts of the machine may bemounted, the timbers of each set being arranged in different verticalplanes and overlapping each other at their contiguous ends, incombination with a pair of horizontally disposed planer blocks, onemounted in bearings upon the lower longitudinal bars of each set, andanother planer block mounted in bearings upon the other bars of eachset, whereby said planer blocks are located in different horizontalplanes and spaced apart longitudinally, a positively driven iiuted feedroll mounted in bearings in the machine frame and located intermediatethe planer blocks, another feed roll superposed above the aforesaid feedroll, a pair of spring arms secured rigidly at one end to the machineframe and having the superposed feed rollj ournaled in their free ends,and adj ustable set screws having a threaded connection with the machineframe and underlying and upholding said spring arms, whereby thedistance between said feed rolls may be regulated, as specified.

2. In a hoop machine, a horizontal frame comprising longitudinal timbersarranged in parallelism, in combination with a horizontally disposedplaner head j ournaled in bearings upon and operating between saidtimbers, a bifurcated frame pivoted at a point intermediate its ends onthe machine frame, a roller loosely journaled between the forked arms ofsaid frame and upheld normally above andat a distance from the planerhead, a lever forming a rigid extension of said bifurcated frame, and avertically slotted cruciform guide bracket embracing said lever andhaving its lateral arms secured to the spaced longitudinal bars of themachine frame, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afxed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

ELMER S. FOSTER.

Witnesses:

Orro CUNNINGHAM, J AMES A. WATSON.

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